Murder trial set for Toowoomba court

Peter Hardwick
Reporter
Peter started in 1976 as apprentice typesetter/comp and has 32 years with The Chronicle in three stints (in between working/holidays in UK/Europe, Brisbane and Melbourne). Entered editorial from comp room in 1996.

THE trial of a man charged with murder arising from the death of a 46-year-old man near Millmerran could be heard in a Toowoomba court as early as April.

Kevin Patrick Hanley has been committed to stand trial on the charge of murder arising from the death of Matthew David Morcus who police claim died of a single gunshot wound to the chest on the night of October 13, 2016.

Hanley, 70, has not as yet been required to enter any plea to the charge but was committed to stand trial at the conclusion of a pre-trial hearing in Toowoomba Magistrates Court in October last year.

He remains on bail.

However, unrelated drugs and a weapon charge that the 70-year-old Millmerran man is also facing were mentioned before the same court yesterday.

Hanley was not in court for the brief mention of those matters but was represented by his solicitor Chris Lumme (Anderson Fredericks Turner Lawyers).

Mr Lumme told the court his client was waiting for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to present an indictment on the charge of murder to the Supreme Court but submitted that trial could be heard as early as the April 2 sittings of the Supreme Court at Toowoomba.

Mr Lumme therefore asked that the drugs and weapons charges against his client be adjourned until later in the year.

Magistrate Damian Carroll acceded and adjourned those matters until late April.